The Apple AirTag in a classy luggage tag.
After months or years of lockdowns around the world, the joy of traveling again is upon us. Trouble is, everyone else wants to do it, too. Which means there can be a lot more people than the airlines can deal with as smoothly as they usually do. This means longer lines to check in, for instance, and—horror of horrors—more misplaced bags.
Even if you plan to travel with hand luggage only, which is my first line of defense against chaos, you still can’t be sure that you’re safe: on an exceptionally busy flight the airline can make you check your carry-on into the hold. And then you’re separated from your bag again.
Which is where Apple AirTag comes in, a smart device the size of a thick coat button. Place one in each item of your luggage and you can be confident you’ll know where it goes if things go awry. Of course, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to get it back instantly, but the peace of mind that comes with knowing the exact whereabouts is hard to overstate.
I used Find My to locate my lost iPad Air last month (you can read all about how well it worked here) but for other items, such as keys, wallet, luggage and more, then the Find My capability in the AirTag is what you need.
Just in case you don’t know, this is how Find My works. When an AirTag is put into Lost mode, which you do from your iPhone or iPad, it pings passing Apple devices (silently and discreetly), relaying a message to the AirTag’s owner that this is where it is. Providing the AirTag can make itself heard to another nearby Apple device, it, as they say in Dear Evan Hansen, will be found.
The more AirTags are used, the more the data they transmit will be trusted. In which case, airports and airlines will have to listen more to those making claims from people saying they know their items are right there. The battery usually lasts more than a year, and it’s user-replaceable.
Nomad Card adaptor for AirTag
There are key chains and other accessories so you can attach the AirTag to different things and even an adaptor from Nomad that’s designed so it can fit in your wallet without distorting it in a distractingly bulging way.
AirTags aren’t perfect, but the more we travel, the more their benefits are evident.
